By Ben Velderman
EAGnews.org

HARTFORD, Conn. – It’s a small moral victory for taxpayers anytime public school leaders forego raises or bonuses they are owed in order to help improve their district’s budget outlook.

These givebacks usually don’t amount to a huge amount of money, but they send an important message that the adults are doing with less in tough economic times so students won’t have to.

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Such a scenario recently occurred in Connecticut’s Hartford school district, when Superintendent Christina Kishimoto retracted her request for $15,450 in performance pay she may have been entitled to, reports Courant.com.

Earlier this week, Kishimoto informed school board members that she is also rescinding nearly $40,000 in performance pay that was expected to be given to six of her top deputies, the news site reports.

The bonuses appeared to violate a 2011 board order that suspended bonuses for central office personnel.

“I have recently learned that the board is not comfortable with this new language and compensation system,” Kishimoto wrote to the board on Tuesday. “Therefore, I will not be processing the variable pay.”

She added that each cabinet member had been notified of her decision and the coming changes that will be made to their contracts.

That’s an encouraging development for Hartford families and taxpayers, especially after years of reports about the district’s shaky financial condition.

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Now that district leaders have set the example, perhaps the district’s other employees will be open to offering some givebacks, as well.

According to the Courant, the school district recently handed out more than $2 million in group bonuses, to celebrate the district’s “significant” performance increases. Teachers, principals, guidance counselors, school nurses, social workers, secretaries, security staffers, custodians and cafeteria workers all received performance payouts. (That must’ve been one heckuva good performance review.)

Nobody should begrudge hard-working school employees from receiving recognition for a job well done. But handing out generous checks might not be the best idea when a district‘s budget is teetering on the brink.

We congratulate Kishimoto for exercising such sound judgment in holding off on the administrative bonuses, and we hope Hartford’s school employee unions will be inspired to do the same next time.